Telford and Wrekin

Telford and Wrekin's population grew between the last two censuses. Data from the census show there were changes in housing tenure and health.

The population reached nearly 170,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Telford and Wrekin increased by 5.3%, from about 158,000 to 167,000.

The addition of about 8,300 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Telford and Wrekin was home to, on average, 4.1 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across the West Midlands

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across the West Midlands, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Telford and Wrekin stood out from other areas for single-person households

In Telford and Wrekin, the proportion came down from 26% in 2001 to 25% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 29% to 30%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Telford and Wrekin increased from 9.6% to 12%, while the percentage of households with a married couple decreased from 41% to 36%.

The percentage of households with only a single-person was lower than across the West Midlands

Percentage of households that that comprised only a single person across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

Fall in home ownership

The percentage of households that owner their home fell in Telford and Wrekin at a faster rate than in Wrexham, a statistically similar local authority area.

In Telford and Wrekin, the proportion of home ownership decreased from 68% in 2001 to 64% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in Wrexham decreased from 65% to 64%.

Across the West Midlands, the share of households that owner their home decreased from 69% to 65%.

Private renting in Telford and Wrekin increased from 7.0% to 15%, while the rate of social housing decreased from 22% to 20%.

The rate of home ownership was lower than across the West Midlands

Percentage of households that that owner their home across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Telford and Wrekin residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 9.3% to 6.2% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (80%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 69% in 2001. The percentage of Telford and Wrekin residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22% to 14%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the West Midlands (from 9.7% in 2001 to 6.1% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Telford and Wrekin decreased by 3.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Telford and Wrekin, the West Midlands and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Telford and Wrekin working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 12% to 9.1% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.7%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.5% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the West Midlands (from 13% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in Telford and Wrekin decreased by 2.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Telford and Wrekin, the West Midlands and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Telford and Wrekin

The number of people in Telford and Wrekin from the White ethnic groups remained close to 150,000 between the last two seasons. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 95% to 93%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across the West Midlands (from 89% to 83%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Telford and Wrekin from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from about 5,100 in 2001 to just under 7,000 in 2011 (from 3.2% to 4.2%). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from about 1,700 to about 3,000 (from 1.1% to 1.8%).

About 1,800 people (0.6%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from just under 930 in 2001 (1.1%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Telford and Wrekin decreased by 2.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, West Midlands and Telford and Wrekin by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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